For people used to the hustle and bustle of a traditional auction, the experience of a virtual auction fundraiser can be a bit overwhelming. How can you replicate the exciting environment of a physical auction with frantic bidding egged on by an auctioneer with a paddle? Is it possible to generate the same energy levels of people crowded around tables with items? While this is not precisely possible, a virtual auction fundraiser is no less riveting and fascinating.

Benefits of a virtual auction fundraiser?

People are now used to online auctions and rather welcome them over their physical counterparts because of the many benefits that a virtual auction fundraiser brings to the table.

Here are a few of them.

· A wide audience: Since a virtual auction fundraiser is conducted over the Internet, the bidders are not restricted to a definite location and demography. Participants may be from any age group, mainly focused on people who prefer to bid at their convenience from the home or on the go. Further, online auctions have access to people from all over the globe and hence items are sold faster.

· Ease of bidding: This is the main advantage of a virtual auction fundraiser as potential bidders can take part in the auctions at a time suitable to them. But such auctions have a specific timeframe for operations which is usually a week at the most and bidding have to be completed within that time and the winners decided.

· Longer bidding time: Fundraisers are at liberty to keep an auction open for as long as they want. This provides an opportunity for the bidders to carefully weigh the value of the items. They have all the time to do their homework and decide which items to bid on. On-premises auctions, on the other hand, rush the participants through the bidding.

· No items in transit: For a virtual auction fundraiser, there are no items to be moved around as they are displayed on the websites and physically kept with the merchants sponsoring and donating them for the auction. When the bidding is completed, the winners declared, and payment received, the products are dispatched and shipped from the merchants directly.

Virtual auctions are the preferred option for fundraisers because of all these benefits.